CANOVA D'APRES. "The Emperor Napoleon as the... Lot 104

CANOVA D'APRES. "The Emperor Napoleon as the god Mars Peacemaker. Monumental bust in patinated plaster on a pedestal, marked on the front " NAPOLEON ". Height : 90 cm. B.E. Early 19th century. History: This bust is that of the monumental statue of "Napoleon in March Peacemaker" delivered in 1811. The Emperor did not appreciate to see himself naked and put it back quickly and it is the winner of Waterloo, Wellington who will acquire it in 1815. The statue is now kept at Apsley House. Antonio Canova (Possagno, province of Treviso, 1757-Venice 1822). Son of a craftsman, stonecutter in his childhood, he became in Rome the major figure of neoclassicism. He was the appointed sculptor of the papacy and of the Napoleonic Empire, and was commissioned with official works (busts, tombs of monumental simplicity), while at the same time he multiplied the amiable mythologies for a rich private clientele (Love and Psyche, marble, Louvre). There is a great contrast between his spirited and lively sketches drawn and the cold perfection of the final marbles. Related works: Several models of this bust are known, in marble, one of which is on display at the Château de Malmaison and another from the former Napoleonic collections of the Princely Palace of Monaco. Bibliography: "Napoleon contemporary portraits busts and statues" by G. Hubert and G. Ledoux-Lebard, Arthéna, 1999, p.88 to 93.